Buchanan Dam and Lake Buchanan

Two-mile-long structure is an architectural rarity

Oldest of the Highland Lakes chain

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​Buchanan Dam, owned by LCRA, creates Lake Buchanan.

The dam, completed in 1938, is an architectural rarity. Stretching for more than two miles, Buchanan is considered the longest multiple-arch dam in the nation. Builders no longer use the design because the amount of labor required makes construction too expensive. Today's dams require far less labor, but a thousand times more materials.

Buchanan Dam and Lake Buchanan were the first completed in the Highland Lakes chain. Their primary purposes are to store water and supply hydroelectricity. They are named for U.S. Rep. J.P. Buchanan, who helped secure federal funds to complete the project after the original builder declared bankruptcy.